John "Pat" Patrick McGinley

John Patrick (Pat) McGinley, 88, passed away on Monday, October 7, 2013, at the Garden County Health Services Hospital surrounded by family and friends.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, October 14, 2013, at 10:00 a.m., at St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church, Oshkosh with Father Michael McDonald officiating. Burial will follow in the Oshkosh Cemetery. A rosary will be recited on Sunday evening, October 13, 2013, at 6:00 p.m. at St. Elizabeth’s Church.

Visitation will be held one hour prior to the rosary services Sunday at the church.

Pat was born in Ogallala, Nebraska on April 16, 1925, and was the son of John and Gertrude McGinley of Lisco. He was the oldest of eight children, and grew up on the family ranch north of Lisco. He attended elementary school in Ogallala and country school at the ranch, and graduated high school from St. Agnes Academy in Alliance.

Pat enlisted in the Army Air Force from 1944 to 1946, much of that time as a pilot in the Berlin Air Lift. Following his military service, he returned to Lisco to the ranch and in 1947 married Norma Olson of Oshkosh.

Pat and Norma moved to the Blue Creek Ranch, northeast of Oshkosh, in 1950, and resided there until 1987. Four children were born to them: Julie Worley, of La Junta, Colorado; Sue McGinley of Denver; Pete McGinley of Torrington, Wyoming; and Mary (John) Adolf, of Chicago, Illinois. Pat and Norma were also grandparents to five grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren.

Pat was an active member of St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church, and served as a Mass Commentator for many years. He was also a founding member of the “Holy Joe Cattle Company”, a group of local farm and ranch parishioners who raised a majority of the funds for the new Church in the mid-70’s.

Through the years, Pat served on the Blue Creek Rural Fire District; the Garden County Fair Board; and for 18 years on the Garden County High School Board of Regents, 14 years of which he served as President. He was also a member of the Ogallala Elks Lodge No. 1760 for 50 years. Pat was also one of the original owners of the Oshkosh Feed Yard from its inception in 1972 until it sold in 1985.

Pat was a lifetime member of the Nebraska Stockgrower’s Association (now the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Association), and served as President from 1979-1981. He was also a member of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), and served on several committees. He was also a Board member of Cattle-Fax, a statistical subsidiary of NCBA, and served as Cattle-Fax Board President in 1985-1986. He was appointed to the Nebraska Brand Committee in 1979, and served until 1983.

Pat was honored in 1982 with the Agricultural Achievement Award given by AK-SAR-BEN for leadership in various cattlemen’s organizations.

In 1987, Pat and Norma moved to Oshkosh and Pat managed the Oshkosh golf course for 13 years. During that time he was also a volunteer driver for the Garden County Ambulance Service, and served as a volunteer Garden County Election Judge. In addition to his military service during the war, Pat was a member of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Garden County.

In addition to his children and grandchildren, Pat is survived by his siblings Jim (Sandy) McGinley of Oshkosh; Mike (Joan) McGinley of Lisco; and Dorothy Morrow of Omaha, Nebraska.

Pat was preceded in death by his wife Norma in August, 2010; his parents; Norma’s parents, Albin and Lillian Olson; and four siblings, Aileen, Dan, Tom, and Betty.

Holechek Funeral Home and Cremation in Oshkosh is serving the McGinley family.